Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, former finance minister, testified as the 11th prosecution witness in the graft trial of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in July 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Muhyiddin, former prime minister, faces allegations of corruption linked to Jana Wibawa, a 2020 stimulus program awarding infrastructure projects to Bumiputera contractors via direct negotiation and pre-qualified tenders to aid COVID-19 economic recovery [2, 5, 3, 6, 7].
Muhyiddin proposed the appointment of 54 contractors for Jana Wibawa in a letter dated November 13, 2020, sent through the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) [2, 5, 8, 6, 9]. The list of contractors came from the PMO; the Finance Ministry only acted as executor, evaluating and finalizing approvals but did not select or compile the companies [2, 5, 8, 6].
Zafrul denied any personal interest or political contributions linked to Muhyiddin or his party Bersatu from the listed companies. "I never received any contribution from the 54 companies listed in the letter proposed by Muhyiddin for the programme. I also have no knowledge whether these companies had made contributions to any political party," he said [2, 8, 10, 11]. He added that he did not receive donations or benefits from those companies and denied any interference by Muhyiddin in awarding the projects. "Based on my knowledge, there was none [interference by the prime minister in the evaluation approval]," Zafrul testified [8].
Zafrul said Muhyiddin had no knowledge of which companies would ultimately receive contracts when making the appointment proposal. "I would agree that he [Muhyiddin] would not know who will be, [or even] whether anyone will be awarded," Zafrul told the court [12].
Some of the companies named as beneficiaries include KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, Sutracom Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Multi-Skill Engineering, and Sutera Corp Sdn Bhd [2, 5, 12, 7]. KCJ Engineering’s road project alone was valued at RM100 million [2].
The prosecution alleges that RM232.5 million in bribes linked to Jana Wibawa went to Bersatu from three companies, though Zafrul had no knowledge of these payments [2, 10, 11]. The procurement method of direct negotiation is established practice for urgent or public interest projects, with Zafrul stating, "Direct negotiation is normal. It is used for national security, public interest and urgent situations" [5, 7].
Muhyiddin reportedly sent a memo urging the Finance Ministry to urgently consider the contractors list, which Zafrul followed despite having discretion to act otherwise [8, 6]. Zafrul explained, "I do not know how the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has made the evaluation or chosen," underscoring the Finance Ministry’s limited role [2].
Jana Wibawa aimed to support Bumiputera contractors and construction suppliers badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to sustain the industry and economy [5, 7].
The trial continues with further testimonies and evidence expected to clarify the extent of Muhyiddin’s alleged involvement and associated money laundering charges totaling RM200 million related to Jana Wibawa projects [3, 10, 6].
